


Fairytale Storybook: My Way - UPDATES WILL BE ONCE IN A BLUE MOON

by M1dn1ght_Star



Category: Fairytales, Original Work
Genre: Cinderella - Freeform, Hansel and Gretel - Freeform, Sleeping Beauty - Freeform, Snow White - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-29
Updated: 2018-11-29
Packaged: 2019-09-02 06:50:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16781803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/M1dn1ght_Star/pseuds/M1dn1ght_Star
Summary: These are my versions of popular fairytales.





	1. Handel and Pretzel

**Author's Note:**

> A few of these are my bad attempts at comedy and humor. Please don't think I'm too weird lol.

Once upon a time lived two little children named Handle and Pretzel Smitchts. They lived in a tiny cottage with their dad and their ugly stepmother. She made them do all the work while she lounged around on lawn chairs and sipped chocolate milkshakes. One day, their dad announced that they were going on vacation. Handle and his sister packed their meager belongings and then they packed their stepmother's stupendous pile of clothing into three different suitcases. Their dad made them carry it all to the car and they drove off.

They had been traveling about 6 hours when their dad said they needed more gas. They pulled into a gas station. Their stepmother, giving them a big fake smile, told them to go get a snack from the gas station store. Handle was suspicious, but took Pretzel's hand and they went into the store. They got blue slushies, but the store was crowded, so it took them a long time.

When they came out of the store, they went back to where the car had been, but it was gone. All that was left was their suitcases, sitting side by side, on the concrete. They stood there in silence for a minute and then Handle squared his shoulders and picked up their suitcases. "Not much point sticking around." he said.

The pair walked out of the gas station and along the sidewalk for many hours until it got dark. Then they went off the path and walked into the forest near the road. They walked and walked until Pretzel collapsed, whimpering, on the ground. Handle stopped and crouched down next to his sister, grimacing as his muscles protested from so much use.

They huddled on the ground for a while and then when the sun came up, they forced themselves to get up and continue walking. They passed a stream and got a drink of water. Then they continued onwards. This happened for several more days, with them occasionally having a drink or spying a handful of berries to eat.

By this time, the two were starving, so when the trees began to thin out, they hurried towards what they thought was the end of the forest. It turned out to be a path in the woods, but still they followed it. After a while, they came to a cottage in the woods. It was covered in sugary butterscotch and gingerbread and decorated with gumdrops and candy canes.

Pretzel was so hungry at this point she burst into tears at the sight of it. Handle took her hand and pulled her towards the side of the house, just in case someone might be home. They ripped large pieces of candy off the house and ate them ravenously, as it was the first food they had seen for days and were so consumed in eating that they didn't notice the witch who had appeared behind them. She was dressed all in black, with a pointy hat and handcuffs.

"I am the Witch!" she cried and dragged them into the house, where she cuffed them to a chair made of jawbreakers melted together. It would be hard to break out of. Handle immediately assessed the situation and decided it was prudent to remain where they were for the moment. At least they would be warm, ya?

Pretzel did not seem to grasp the situation, for she immediately started licking the chair they were chained to. Handle rolled his eyes and waited for the witch to come back into the room. When she did, he politely introduced himself and asked what she wanted. At that, she started cackling madly and then danced around them singing: "I'll open my witching book, and get ready to, ready to cook. I'll build a big house made out of candy, I'll catch me some children and then I'll be dandy. I'll cook those children in a pot, and when they're done I'll leave their bones to rot." Handle's eyes grew large and he clutched his sister's hand. The witch laughed once more, and concluding her song, she danced out of the room.

Every day after that, she would leave them fattening foods to eat and Pretzel gobbled it all up, but Handle was smarter and refused anything but a little bit. That way Pretzel kept getting fatter and fatter but Handle was still very thin. It frustrated the witch, who wanted to cook both of them, and it gave them more time to escape.

One night, when the witch was asleep, Handle and Pretzel came up with an idea. They would pretend to be fat enough for the witch to eat them and then act like they were asleep. When the witch unchained them, however, they would jump up and attack her. This was as far as they got because the witch was moving around her bedroom and they went to sleep.

The next morning, when she wasn't looking, Pretzel helped Handle stuff food down his shirt so he looked fat. Then they pretended to fall asleep so the witch would think them easy prey. She fell for it and cackled with delight when she saw them. She picked up a cauldron from the corner of the room and put it over the fire to heat up. Then she poured water into it and tossed various vegetables in too. It was beginning to heat up and she started dancing around singing: "I'll open my witching book, and get ready to, ready to cook. I'll build a big house made out of candy, I'll catch me some children and then I'll be dandy. I'll cook those children in a pot, and when they're done I'll leave their bones to rot." Cackling madly, she unchained them and dragged them towards the fire.

Suddenly, however, Pretzel jumped up and grabbed a nearby frying pan. She hit the witch on the head with it and while she was screeching with pain, Handle took the handcuffs and chained her to the table.

Then the witch laughed and said, "You don't really think you can stop me with some puny little pieces of metal, do you?" She melted straight through them and tried to push Pretzel into the fireplace, but Pretzel pushed back and together with Handle she pushed the witch into the burning fireplace. The witch burned up in front of their eyes, seeming to melt away almost instantly.

Tearing their eyes away, Handle and Pretzel filled some bags with candy and then ran out of the house and back into the woods. They ran straight past the path to the road before doubling back. Pretzel was having trouble keeping up with Handle, since she was so fat. She gasped for breath as they continued to the road.

When they got there, Handle pulled his sister behind a bush and they sat there for a while. Eventually, Pretzel fell asleep and then she slept for two weeks while Handle kept vigil. When she woke up, Pretzel wasn't fat anymore and then they walked along the road until they reached a town.

A very nice man named Rumpled Stilts The Salesman told them about a bakery along the road where they could trade their candy for money and they rushed straight there. The bakery people were very eager to have the candy and so they gave the Smitchts lots of money for it. Pretzel and Handle were very rich now and they bought themselves a new house in the center of town. They named it the Smitchts Lodge and they furnished it with lots of wood and rugs to remind them of their old house. Pretzel had lots of nice clothes and Handle got his very own bike. They decided to teach other children self defence against witches and made even more money this way, which they used to buy a dog that they named Chloe von Weinerwhiner.

They lived happily ever after for the rest of their lives except a couple of times I'd like to tell you about. The first was when Pretzel fell in love with a boy named Piper and wanted to get married. Handle was outraged and resorted to trying to sabotage their relationship, but Pretzel figured it out and they ran away together. Handle was devastated.

The second time was when Handle was living by himself, just a couple years after the wedding fiasco, and his dad came to visit. I know, right, huge surprise. Well, anyways, his dad had heard about him from Rumpled Stilts The Salesman and wanted to drop by. The children's evil stepmother had passed away many years ago, and he regretted abandoning them at the gas station. Handle didn't believe him though and cast him out into the street.

He huddled on the ground in front of the house weeping until a car ran over him. Then Handle was very remorseful and arranged their dad's funeral. At it, there was an organ playing, black roses scattered throughout the church, and the coffin was made out of wood that looked like the cabin they had all lived in so long ago. Handle wept many bitter tears and then went home to mourn in silence.

Many years passed, and Handle visited his dad's grave every day to place flowers on it. He went even if it was raining, snowing, or hailing. He even went in a hurricane once.

One day though, as he was sitting next to the grave, someone came up behind him and cleared their throat. Handle turned around to find Piper and Pretzel standing there, holding some flowers to put on their dad's grave. At this sight, Handle forgave them for running away, and apologized for trying to stop their wedding. They put their arms 'round each other and went home to the house Handle and Pretzel had bought after they sold their candy to that bakery in town. 


	2. Gazella

Once upon a time there lived a gazelle named Gazella. Yes, I know, not very original, but in the savanna, nobody was very original. I mean, seriously, every ruler of the kingdom always was named King or Queen, so when they came to power, they would be addressed as King King or Queen Queen. Easy to remember.

Well, anyways, there lived a gazelle named Gazella. Her mother had been killed by lions when she was very young and her father was always off doing important business. He felt that she needed better care than he could give her, so he got remarried to a gazelle named Lady Grazellie. She had two daughters named Greena and Grassa who immediately set about bullying Gazella. Her father didn't notice how they were treating his daughter because whenever he was around, they pretended to be nice and compassionate and caring.

After a year of this happening, her father became ill and passed away. Gazella cried for weeks in her room and when she came out she found that some changes had been made. According to her stepmother, she was no longer free to do what she wished. She would do all the chores and take care of cooking and cleaning their manor. Lady Grazellie tossed Gazella a dirty apron and went off to take a walk with the stepsisters. With a sigh, Gazella got to work.

Many years passed in this fashion until one day when Gazella was sweeping the front porch, a royal messenger ran up the walk. He was dressed smartly and gave a quick bow before handing her an envelope stamped with the royal insignia. Gazella's eyes widened and she hurried into the house where Greena was taking her singing lesson. She screeched when Gazella came into the room, "I told you to stay outside while I was practicing!" and pushed her out the door. Gazella shrugged and took the letter to the living room where Lady Grazellie and Grassa were sitting.

"What is it?" Lady Grazellie asked irritably.

"A letter came from the palace, ma'am." she said, curtsying and dropping the letter onto Grassa's lap. Lady Grazellie snatched it up and hollered for Greena to come there. When she hurried into the room, Lady Grazellie ripped open the letter and read it quickly. As she reached the bottom, her eyes widened and she read more slowly, nodding to herself.

"Girls," she said once she had finished, "I do believe we have been invited to a royal ball!"

"All of us?" Gazella asked, hardly believing her ears.

"I suppose so," Lady Grazellie sniffed, "But only if you finish all of the chores."

Gazella leaped into the air with joy and hurried out of the room to start the chores. After all, the sooner she started them, the sooner she'd be done!

Two hours later, Gazella finished the day's chores and hurried to her room to get ready for the ball. She gathered some strings of berries and put them around her neck. Then she pulled out one of her old gowns. It was made from strings of flowers and trailed down her hind legs to the ground. She put it on and quickly ran down the stairs to where Lady Grazellie and the girls were waiting. When they saw her, they burst out laughing.

"You call that a dress?" cackled Greena.

"Oh my gosh, I think we need to help her." replied Grassa.

Together they ripped the berries off Gazella's neck and tore the flowers off her dress. Then laughing madly, they dashed out to meet the carriage waiting to take them to the palace. Lady Grazellie smiled coldly at Gazella and then swept after them, locking the door behind her.

Gazella ran through the house and into the garden just in time to see the carriage disappearing around the corner. She slumped onto a bench and stared after its vanishing lights. Then as her hopes and dreams were crushed, she began to cry.

"Child, why are you crying?" a voice said behind her.

She turned around to find a golden deer standing there, looking concerned.

"Well, I wanted to go to the royal ball, but my stepsisters destroyed my gown and locked me in the house. My stepmother was probably planning this." Gazella said dejectedly.

"Oh, well I can fix this!" the deer cried, "for I am your magic godmother."

She lifted a hoof into the air and golden sparks swirled around Gazella, forming a shimmering golden gown. A tiny golden tiara rested on her horns and dainty glass shoes covered her hooves.

"Wow!" Gazella exclaimed, but the deer wasn't done yet. With a flick of her tail, she turned a nearby pumpkin into a shimmering carriage and some field mice into horses. Gazella climbed in and the carriage took off for the palace.

By this time, the royal ball had started and everyone was dancing. Gazella's carriage stopped in front of the doors and the golden deer's voice boomed out of some speakers: "Just remember to be home by midnight!" Then Gazella climbed out and elegantly trotted into the palace. She walked into the ballroom to find that Prince King was waiting near the door to welcome any latecomers. His eyes widened as he took in her finery and gave her a sweeping bow.

"Welcome to the palace, my lady." he said.

She smiled and gave him a graceful curtsy in return. Then she made to walk off into the ballroom, but he stopped her and asked if she would like to dance with him. They swept off through the ballroom and she soon found herself chattering away about her life to him. Dance after dance they spent together, until the King and Queen looked disapprovingly on as he refused to dance with anyone else.

The other guests were gossiping like mad about the latecomer who seemed to have stolen the prince's heart. Some said she was a foreign princess from across the sea and some said she was a mystical witch come to take over the kingdom (because some people can't help themselves from spreading mean rumors about people they feel threaten their chances to marry the prince).

Eventually, the two were fed up with the other guests and went outside to the gardens. They strolled along the path until they reached a bridge. Then they stared into the water and he took her hand. She gazed at him shyly for a moment and then started to look away.

Prince King reached out and held her face towards him. He started to lean in closer, but the clock clanged loudly and they jumped apart, the spell broken. It was midnight.

Frantically, Gazella rushed away towards the front of the palace where her carriage was waiting.

"Wait!" Prince King called after her. "I don't even know your name!"

Ignoring him, she rushed down the palace steps, but tripped and one of her glass shoes fell off. She started to go back for it, but she didn't have time. Leaping into the carriage, she slammed the door shut and the horses galloped for home. She was almost home when the clock stopped chiming and the carriage turned back into a pumpkin. The mice scurried off into the grass and she ran the last four yards to the house. Her golden dress had turned back into rags and she hid the remaining three slippers under a loose floorboard in her room (which was really a closet).

She lay down on the floor and pretended to be asleep. But before her stepsisters and stepmother got home, she was fast asleep for real.

The next morning, she woke up to start the chores and found herself questioning whether or not last night had been a dream. Peering under the floorboard, she concluded it wasn't. Then she put on her dirty apron and went to collect the laundry.

Around lunch time, Lady Grazellie, Grassa, and Greena were sitting in the living room when the doorbell rang. Peering through the front curtains, Gazella saw that it was the prince and two of his courtiers. She relayed this to her stepsisters and Lady Grazellie grabbed her by the arm and dragged her into the closet, locking the door. Gazella watched through the crack under the door as the prince and his attendants came into the living room and revealed that they were looking for the owner of the glass shoe that the mysterious girl at the ball had left behind.

Both of the stepsisters were eager to try it on. Grassa went first. She extended her hoof, but it was much too big. She scowled and tried to cram it in, but it wouldn't fit. Greena was next. She extended her hoof and the courtiers tried to put the shoe on. It appeared to fit, but she had curled her toes so it fit and it was uncomfortable. She uncurled her toes and the shoe shot off her foot into the air. Everyone gaped as it smashed into the wall and broke. The prince appeared on the verge of tears.

The visitors from the palace turned to leave, but stopped when they heard a muffled "Over here!" coming from the closet near the door.

"What's that?" asked Prince King.

"Oh, that's just our serving girl." said Lady Grazellie.

"Can't we at least see her, even though the shoe is broken?" asked one of courtiers.

Sniffing, Lady Grazellie agreed and unlocked the door. Gazella tumbled out and gazed up into the eyes of Prince King. He looked at her strangely, as if he knew her from somewhere, but couldn't remember where.

"Have we met before?" he asked.

"Yes, at the royal ball." she answered shyly.

"You lie!" cried Lady Grazellie. "You never even went to the ball."

"But, stepmother, I did." Gazella replied, pulling out the three other glass shoes.

Prince King swept her into his arms and they collected all of Gazella's belongings and went to the palace where they were soon married and lived happily ever after.


	3. Sew White and The Seven Dwarves

Once upon a time, there lived a girl named Sew White. Her mother was a seamstress, but had died when she was very young. Her father remarried within the year to a woman Sew just absolutely couldn't stand. She even went so far as to call her the Evil Queen behind her back. Now this "Evil Queen" was really named Marissa, and she hated Sew with all her heart because even when Sew was very little, people always said that she was beautiful and that she would have to surpass even Marissa's beauty sooner or later.

This drove Marissa crazy to the point where she bought a mirror from a traveling salesman named Rumpled Stilts that was supposed to tell the owner that they were the prettiest in the world. But for some reason as Sew grew older, it began to tell her: "Famed is thy beauty, Majesty. But hold, a lovely maid I see. Rags cannot hide her gentle grace. Alas, she is more fair than thee. Lips red as the rose. Hair black as ebony. Skin white as snow."

Around this time, Sew White's father died from pneumonia and Marissa began to make some changes. First, she ordered all mirrors in the house to be arranged in her bedroom for her to gaze at. Then, she destroyed all traces of Sew's mother in the house and draped everything in black. Sew was forced to do the chores and cook and clean, or she would have starved to death.

One day, Marissa's magic mirror said something new: "Marissa, beauteous and bright, shines not so brightly near Sew White's light" In a rage, Marissa smashed her mirror and then called the village huntsman to come to her house. When he arrived, she filled his hands with dozens of bags of gold coins and told him to take Sew White into the forest and kill her. He was to return with her heart as proof of the deed.

So many bags of coins proved too much temptation for the poor huntsman and he agreed. Marissa called for Sew White and told her that the huntsman was going to take her into the forest to look at all of the pretty animals and flowers. Excited, Sew agreed and the huntsman (whose name was John, btw) led her off into the forest.

They looked around for a while until John suddenly stopped and said, "Who am I kidding? I can't possibly kill Sew White!"

He told her everything Marissa had told him and then told her to run, run away as fast as she could and never come back. She darted off the path and into the trees and he set off to hunt a deer, for he could not return empty handed or Marissa would know that he had not killed Sew.

An hour later, he returned to the house, bloody heart in hand, where Marissa was waiting. When she saw the heart, her face lit up with joy and she took the heart before sending the Huntsman away so she could gloat over her trophy alone.

Meanwhile, Sew White was stumbling through the forest. She tripped over a log and then fell into a pond before giving up.

"It's almost dark anyways." she said to herself before curling up on the ground. She fell asleep and when she woke up, it was morning and animals of the forest were looking curiously at her from the trees. She sat up with a start as she remembered where she was and then got up and continued walking through the forest.

About midday, she came upon a little cottage in the trees and decided to see if anyone was home. She knocked on the door, but no one answered, so she went inside. The house was a mess, dusty and cluttered with junk. Sew thought that since she was technically trespassing already, she might as well clean up for whoever lived there. She picked up a broom from the corner and began sweeping the floor.

When she had finished, she organised all of the clutter and opened the windows to air out the house. It looked much better already. She went upstairs to see if there was anything to do up there and found a row of small beds with dirty and torn clothing on them.

"Oh, I love sewing!" she cried, before pulling out a needle and thread and happily began stitching them up. It was evening by the time she finished and she was tired, so she went to sleep on one of the beds.

When she woke up, there were 7 rugged faces looking down at her. She sat up, startled and looked around at them.

"Hmm, a little girl is sleeping in Sam's bed." said one of what appeared to be dwarves.

"I'm sorry, I was lost in the woods and I came upon your cottage and I..." Sew stammered.

"It's fine." one of the dwarves said looking sympathetic. "I'm Sam by the way."

"Oh, I'm sorry for sleeping on your bed." she scrambled off and stood awkwardly near the door. "I'll just go now."

Sam came over and tugged her hand. "Come on, you can stay with us for the night."

The other dwarves agreed and they introduced themselves as Cam, Pam, Tam, Graham, Nam, and Zahm. They all seemed eager to help Sew White. Smiling shyly, Sew lay down on the extra bed they gestured to and went to sleep again.

The next morning, Sew woke up before the dwarves and went downstairs to cook breakfast. By the time Sam and Graham came downstairs, she had 7 plates of pancakes with blueberries sitting on the table and a bowl of maple syrup in the middle.

"Oh, you didn't have to do that!" they cried when they saw, but tucked in appreciatively. Sew could tell they weren't very good cooks themselves and smiled.

The rest of the dwarves came downstairs too and ate their breakfast. They told Sew that they were going off to work in the mines as usual and to stay in the house and be wary of strangers. She nodded and they went off whistling into the forest while she ate her breakfast and washed the dishes. Sew noticed with satisfaction that they were wearing the clothes she had mended for them. Then she settled down for a day of knitting new socks for them.

The next couple of days passed in the same way, with Sew making the dwarves breakfast and then cleaning the house and making the dwarves new clothes. But then one day, she had a visitor. Marissa had found out that John had tricked her and she went into a rage. Fixing her face into a old woman's, she pulled out an old Halloween costume and put it on. Then she went to the market and bought some candy. She laced a big red gummy bear with sleeping potion and then set off into the forest. She had threatened the Huntsman into telling her where Sew was, so she knew just where to go.

When she arrived at the cottage, she practiced her old lady voice and then knocked on the door. Sew opened it and Marissa, a.k.a. Maude the Peddler, rasped, "Candy for sale. Candy for sale. For a sweet girl like you, I will even give you a free gummy bear to eat so you know my candy is good."

Sew remembered the dwarves warning, but she didn't see how a sweet old woman (so she thought) could possibly harm her, so she smiled and said, "Why thank you!" and took the gummy bear.

Marissa smiled in satisfaction as Sew bit into the gummy bear and then collapsed.

She leaned over Sew to finish her off, but was thwarted by the dwarves, who were returning home from work. Seeing Sew collapsed on the ground, they yelled in fury and threw themselves at Marissa, who was forced to flee into the forest.

The dwarves watched her go and then picked up Sew, who they thought to be dead. They carried her into the house and began to fashion a golden coffin for her. They toiled away for a week and when it was finished they placed Sew inside and put it in the front yard and gathered round it. They were holding a ceremony for her when a boy on a horse came riding past.

When he saw Sew, he reined in his horse and asked the dwarves who it was and they told him that it was Sew White and she had been poisoned by an evil witch. The boy (whose name was Fabian) got off the horse and came over to pay his respects. He noticed that she was still breathing and began to do CPR on her. The dwarves thought he was kissing her and tried to stop him, but he told them what he was doing and they relented, but still watched him suspiciously.

Sew suddenly gasped and sat upright. Fabian backed away and she looked at him curiously.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm just passing through. I saw you were still alive and did CPR." he said. He began to mount his horse to ride off, but she stopped him.

"If I could ask you for a favor..." she began. She explained to Fabian what she wanted to do and he agreed.

Sew climbed on the back of Fabian's horse and waved goodbye to Sam, Cam, Pam, Tam Graham, Nam, and Zahm. Then the two galloped off into the forest towards Sew's old home.

They arrived there quickly and Sew thanked Fabian. He decided to wait for her to make sure she was okay (and also because he was quickly getting a crush on her). Sew went up the sidewalk and knocked on the front door. Marissa answered the door and when she saw that Sew was there, she had a heart attack from the shock and she died before Sew could do anything. She just stood there staring until Fabian gently led her back to the horse and helped her mount.

"Where do you want to go?" he asked.

"Anywhere you go." she said, smiling at him.

He smiled back and they galloped off into the sunset to live happily ever after.


	4. Sweeping Cutie: The Tale of A Girl Named Briar

Once upon a time there lived a shopkeeper and his wife. They had a very little girl named Briar and threw a birthday party for her. They invited all of the people in the town they lived in, or so they thought, but they had forgotten to invite one very grumpy old witch named Millie.

When the witch realized she had not been invited, she decided to crash the birthday party and put a nasty curse on Briar just for fun. Donning her black hat, she rode her broomstick there (this witch was a very old-fashioned one) and knocked on the front door.

The shopkeeper opened the door and was shocked to find Millie there.

"I didn't invite you." he said, confused.

"That is the problem." she replied, smiling coldly at him before brushing past him into the house.

When the other guests saw her they parted like minnows before a shark. Millie made her way to the center of the room where Briar's mother was sitting next to Briar's crib.

"I believe there has been a mistake. I didn't get my invitation." Millie hissed to her.

"There was no mistake. Get out of my house, _witch_." Briar's mother said bravely.

"Make me!" Millie replied.

Briar's father came back into the room and put his arm around his wife. He looked very tired as he said, "Please stay and enjoy the party, Millie. We forgot to send you a invitation, but we are sorry."

"Too late!" Millie cried, casting a spell to hold everyone in the room still against their will. She walked leisurely over to the crib and looked inside. Even as a baby, Briar was still the prettiest girl she had ever seen.

Well, well, Millie thought, What to do, what to do. She debated for a minute and then announced to all the guests: "I shall cast a curse upon this babe. She shall sleep for eternity. Then she will be well rested when she wakes up (which will be _never_ , by the way) Mwhaaaaaaa!"

Then she swept out of the room and the guests all clustered round the crib to make sure Briar was okay. She was asleep and no one could hear her breathing. Her parents panicked and ran out the door and into the town square, yelling for help.

As it turned out, there was another person in the town they had forgotten to invite, a nice old fairy, who was sitting on her front porch when Briar's parents ran past. She called out to them and they breathlessly told her what Millie had done.

Joints creaking, the fairy (who was named Nerida) stood up and told them to lead the way. They rushed back to the house and Nerida took one look at the child and muttered, "Millie, what have you done?!"

She placed her hands over the child's face and told her parents that the best she could do would be to weaken the spell so that she would only sleep for 10 years.

Briar's father bowed his head and said, "Thank you, Nerida. May the Good Lady bless you and give you many gifts."

Then Nerida altered the spell and, nodding to the guests, she swept back out of the house to return to her own.

Briar's parents thanked all the guests for coming with sad smiles and then decided to put her in a window display for the time being. They never got around to moving her out again, so 9 ½ years later, she still slumbered in the window, 10 years old, with her hair drifting slowly around her.

Many people walked past it every day and they bowed their heads in respect as they went past. They knew that soon Briar would be waking up and were already planning the celebration. Of course, they _were_ going to invite Nerida this time, but not Millie, as she would curse Briar again in all probability.

As it just so happens, a new family had moved into Rosewick (the town where Briar's family lived). They had a young son of about Briar's age, maybe 11 or so. His name was Philipe and he was walking around the town square one day when he saw Briar lying in the shop window. Entranced, he watched her through the glass for most of the afternoon and came back every day for three months.

The first day of the fourth month was when he couldn't stand his curiosity any longer and went into the shop to ask about Briar. Her parents were surprised that he didn't know, but it was too hard for them to tell him, so they sent him to Nerida's house instead.

When he got there, he rang the bell and Nerida invited him in for some tea. Smiling, he accepted her offer and they exchanged pleasantries for a little while until he got up the courage to ask what had happened to Briar. She looked sadly at him for a while and then spoke earnestly.

"I softened the curse as best I could. Mellie, the witch, had cursed the poor child to sleep for eternity because she hadn't been invited to the little one's birthday party. Her parents came to me for help, but the best I could do was reduce its effect to 10 years of sleep."

Philipe nodded understandingly and looked down, fiddling with his napkin.

"I believe that she is going to wake up in two months or so." Nerida said. "I also changed the curse so that there are several loopholes, like if her true loves plants and grows a rose for her, when it blooms, she will wake up, but that will take longer than two months to do, so I wouldn't try it."

Philipe looked at her, confused. "I'm not her true love."

"Oh yes you are. I knew it as soon as I saw you." Nerida laughed.

Philipe thanked her hurriedly and rushed home so he could tell his father all about what had happened. Now Aravis Reavenger was a very smart and friendly man, so when he heard that his son could help the Bramblewicks, he decided right away that Philipe would have to find a way to break the curse early.

Philipe thought that Briar was pretty cute, so he agreed to help. Aravis took his son right away to tell the Bramblewicks what Nerida had said to Philipe. The Bramblewicks were overjoyed that their daughter could be woken up early, but they didn't want their daughter falling in love with some country boy, so they secretly planned to make sure that Briar and Philipe never met.

Now, their plan was already flawed, for in order for Briar to wake up early, the true love had to stand by her "bedside" with the rose he had grown. They didn't know that though, so they happily agreed to the Reavingers' plan.

The Reavingers went home, satisfied and happy, and had a scrumptious dinner of boiled carrots and turkey before going to bed.

><><

The next morning, the two families put their plan into action. Philipe planted a rose in a flowerpot, because everyone thought it would be easier to carry around that way. Briar's father secretly made arrangements so that Philipe would not be able to meet Briar. Philipe's mother cooed over how romantic everything was and then started making Philipe a scarf for winter. Nerida shook her head at the Bramblewicks' foolishness and started to undo all of the things Briar's father had done. And Briar, well, Briar was having a lovely dream about cotton candy.

After a week had passed, Philipe's rose was already half grown. Nerida conceded that the families' plans might work after all. The Bramblewicks were shocked that a country boy could make a rose grow so fast and thought that maybe he was okay.

When Philipe's rose was fully grown, the Bramblewicks gathered around their daughter, only to find that she still had not awakened. Realizing that in order for Briar to wake, they needed Philipe, Briar's father walked over to the Reavinger's house.

Luckily, Philipe and his mother were home. Philipe got the rose from his room and shyly followed the two adults into the Bramblewick's store. Briar was lying artistically along the front of the shop window, with her hair splayed out beneath her. Philipe reverently stepped closer so that he was standing next to the window and because it seemed the right thing to do, placed the rose into Briar's hands.

Everyone waited with bated breath for something to happen. Eventually, they must have realized it wasn't going to work. Briar's parents bowed their heads silently and Philipe's mother bit her lip. They started to leave the shop, but Philipe felt something that made him stay where he was. He bent down and kissed her quickly before beginning to walk away.

A noise made him stop. He slowly turned around and saw that Briar was beginning to stir. With a shout of joy, he hurried back over to where she lay, the adults close on his heels. Briar opened her eyes and smiled up at Philipe.

"Thank you." she said.

Philipe smiled back, feeling his heart lift with happiness.

Briar's parents sighed as they realized that they couldn't control who their daughter fell in love with, but looked knowingly at each other before going to their daughter's side and hugging her. After all, they did love their daughter. Philipe's mother went over to where he was standing and smiled at him. They knew everything would be all right.


End file.
